That his post would be read over 35,000 times on LinkedIn, and that he would be showered with positive reactions was something he had not imagined, but this shows that Martijn's story is well received. In one year, he has gone from commercial manager at a rose nursery, to running his own nursery in eucalyptus potted plants. A change that took quite some doing.
"You don't often hear of someone just becoming a grower," Martijn laughs. "The idea was always there, but to start something is quite an investment, and the run-up to it also takes a lot of time." Last September, he received a phone call asking if he wasn't interested in renting a nursery: "My work as commercial manager was coming to an end at that time and to become a gardener myself seemed really super cool. So it was quite an opportunity that came my way all at once, but one with quite a few snags. The nursery had quite a bit of overdue maintenance, nothing had been done here for years. Anyway, I'm not afraid of a bit of work and challenges."
Challenges
"There are some challenges that come your way. What will you grow, can it be grown organically? And then the biggest question; how are you going to manage financially?" says Martijn. "Nevertheless, the ball started rolling and within two days the whole plan was in the bag. We are now almost a year on, and I can say that the past year has not been boring. I really enjoy doing it and this work is the best there is, but in the beginning you run into a lot of things you have to learn to deal with. Also, the idea was to grow organically, but I had zero experience in that, so you just have to put it down. We are now a year on and the first plants are being delivered. It certainly didn't happen without a struggle, but it stands. From now on, I can deliver plants year-round via the exporters at the auctions to garden centers and florists all over Europe."
Organic eucalyptus
The fact that Martijn started growing eucalyptus was pretty obvious, to him: "A few years ago, my father had a nursery in Portugal. There wonderfully fragrant eucalyptus was everywhere." There are not many growers of eucalyptus pot plants in the Netherlands, most of them are in Italy, he says. "Logistically, it is also quite an undertaking. Besides, eucalyptus is more known as cut greens. The advantage of eucalyptus pot plants is that you can grow them cold, there are few diseases and pests, and it can be organic."
Commerce
"At the moment, it's still somewhat quiet because of the holidays. We're going to accelerate soon. In any case, the cultivation of eucalyptus has been mastered, and the plants are getting more beautiful. So now the challenge is to sell as much as possible and get commerce going. This is still a bit of a challenge for me because in the world of flowers, in which I have been active for 15 years, selling is a bit different from the world of plants." Martijn concludes: "Nevertheless, I am still happy with this choice, and every day I go to work with a big smile."
For more information:
Martijn Boers Potplants
Tel: +31 6 43090558
[email protected]